Last December, I wrote a column about getting outside and embracing Maine’s winters, but we all know that sometimes we just want to hunker down, cozy up and stay inside. So as autumn weather descends upon us, the sun sets earlier and the temperatures drop quicker, it’s a wonderful time to make reading the new […]
Forecaster opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: Boos and Bravos
Welcome to another edition of Boos and Bravos, the occasional, quick-hit, catchall column of “Here’s Something,” where we heap praise or criticism on a range of current topics. BRAVO to Sen. Susan Collins on her 8,000th roll-call vote in the U.S. Senate, where she has served since January 1997. The Republican has honored Maine with […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Discovering nature can be very wild
Go condors! Did you hear the news? Two female California condors, a rare and endangered species, have just hatched chicks without any assistance from a male. I don’t mean they simply kept the nest warm. I mean they did the whole process, including conception, on their own, without a male. I find this mind-blowing. Parthenogenesis, […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Wondering about wonders, big and small
I wonder a lot, wonder about all of us. Wonder if we get honest about what my grandson calls “COVID time.” Do we do things we used to do? Fly? Travel? Attend concerts? Visit friends in nursing homes or hospitals? Hmm. I’ve also wondered about that sourdough I used to buy. I wonder these COVID […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Through My Lens: New Mainers can celebrate Halloween in their own way
You know Halloween is coming when ghoulish skulls and scarecrows take their places on porches, in front or back yards, or hanging from a tree. When someone asked me a few years ago what my Halloween costume would be, I had no idea. Maybe a pirate, some suggested. A pirate? The first thing I thought […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Other cultures not suitable for costumes
Halloween is pretty much my favorite holiday. To start with, any celebration that involves chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate is automatically Grade A in my book. Then you add in costumes and parties and what’s not to love? Plus, although I realize there are some out there who choose not to celebrate (and that’s totally […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Portland Superintendent’s Notebook: Student reconnection a top concern in Portland schools
Eighteen months of remote and hybrid learning due to the pandemic has disconnected many of our students from school, their teachers and each other. That is why reconnecting our students is a key focus at the Portland Public Schools now that we have returned to full-time, in-person learning. We’ve made creating safe and equitable school […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: CMP corridor question poses a conundrum
Mainers have a tough choice Tuesday, Nov. 2, in the form of Question 1. Do voters allow Central Maine Power to erect a high-wattage electrical transmission line through 53 miles of Maine forest from The Forks to the Canadian border to tap into Hydro-Quebec’s network of hydropower electric dams? This referendum, more than any in […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Autumn beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Gracious, it is pretty out there! These past few days have been absolute perfection. The sort of weather that makes you grateful to be alive and live in a place such as this. Having a soft spot for gray and rainy days as well, I’ve been enjoying the slow starts and drizzly mornings, but the […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: The longing for belonging is universal
It was that season. The crisp Maine air chilled faces when I traveled to Puerto Morelos that fall; leaves crunched underfoot at home. In October, I flew to the Yucatan Peninsula for a writing retreat with women I called my writing tribe. We stretched while practicing yoga at dawn with other sunrise-watchers. Then Maria, a […]